U.S. patent application number 12/268090 was filed with the patent office on 2010-05-13 for refrigerator.
Invention is credited to Brent Alden JUNGE, Alan Joseph MITCHELL.
Application Number | 20100115985 12/268090 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42163949 |
Filed Date | 2010-05-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100115985 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
MITCHELL; Alan Joseph ; et
al. |
May 13, 2010 |
REFRIGERATOR
Abstract
A refrigerator includes a main body defining a compartment, the
compartment having an access opening, a first wall and a heat
exchanger supported by the first wall; a refrigeration system
containing therein a working medium and including an evaporator
which is disposed outside of the compartment for cooling the
compartment; a door supported by the main body for selectively
closing at least part of the access opening of the compartment; and
a sub-compartment on the door and including a second wall with an
opening. The heat exchanger is coolable by the working medium. The
heat exchanger and the second wall are positioned so that when the
door is in a closed position, the heat exchanger is exposed to an
interior of the sub-compartment through the opening.
Inventors: |
MITCHELL; Alan Joseph;
(Louisville, KY) ; JUNGE; Brent Alden;
(Evansville, IN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
General Electric Company;GE Global Patent Operation
2 Corporate Drive, Suite 648
Shelton
CT
06484
US
|
Family ID: |
42163949 |
Appl. No.: |
12/268090 |
Filed: |
November 10, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/441 ;
312/405.1; 62/285; 62/419; 62/515 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25C 5/22 20180101; F25D
21/08 20130101; F25D 17/065 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/441 ;
312/405.1; 62/515; 62/419; 62/285 |
International
Class: |
F25D 23/00 20060101
F25D023/00; F25D 23/02 20060101 F25D023/02; F25B 39/02 20060101
F25B039/02; F25D 21/14 20060101 F25D021/14; F25D 17/06 20060101
F25D017/06 |
Claims
1. A refrigerator comprising: a main body defining a compartment,
the compartment having an access opening, a first wall and a heat
exchanger supported by the first wall; a refrigeration system
containing therein a working medium, the refrigeration system
comprising an evaporator disposed outside of the compartment for
cooling the compartment; a door supported by the main body for
selectively closing at least part of the access opening of the
compartment; and a sub-compartment on the door, the sub-compartment
comprising a second wall having an opening, wherein the heat
exchanger is coolable by the working medium, and wherein the heat
exchanger and the second wall are positioned so that when the door
is in a closed position, the heat exchanger is exposed to an
interior of the sub-compartment through the opening.
2. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a gasket
supported by one of the first wall and the second wall, wherein
when the door is in the closed position, the gasket substantially
sealingly surrounds the heat exchanger and the opening.
3. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a fluid
connection for circulating the working medium, part of the fluid
connection being thermally coupled to the heat exchanger so that
when passing through the part of the fluid connection, the working
medium cools the heat exchanger.
4. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a fan for
facilitating heat exchange between air in the interior of the
sub-compartment and the heat exchanger.
5. A refrigerator comprising: a main body defining a first
compartment and a second compartment, the first compartment having
an access opening, a first wall and a heat exchanger supported by
the first wall; a refrigeration system containing therein a working
medium, the refrigeration system comprising an evaporator which is
disposed in the second compartment for cooling the first
compartment and the second compartment; a door supported by the
main body for selectively closing at least part of the access
opening of the first compartment; and a sub-compartment on the
door, the sub-compartment having a second wall having an opening,
wherein the heat exchanger is coolable by the working medium, and
wherein the heat exchanger and the second wall are positioned so
that when the door is in a closed position, the heat exchanger is
exposed to an interior of the sub-compartment through the
opening.
6. The refrigerator of claim 5, further comprising a gasket
supported by one of the first wall and the second wall, wherein
when the door is in the closed position, the gasket substantially
sealingly surrounds the heat exchanger and the opening.
7. The refrigerator of claim 5, further comprising a fan for
facilitating heat exchange between air in the interior of the
sub-compartment and the heat exchanger.
8. The refrigerator of claim 7, wherein the first compartment
further has a louvered cover which covers the heat exchanger and
supports the fan.
9. The refrigerator of claim 7, wherein the sub-compartment further
has a louvered fan bracket which covers the opening and supports
the fan.
10. The refrigerator of claim 5, wherein the heat exchanger
comprises a heat-exchanging plate comprising a first surface facing
the second wall when the door is in the closed position.
11. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the refrigeration system
further comprises a condenser and a fluid connection for
transferring the working medium from the evaporator to the
condenser, part of the fluid connection being thermally coupled to
the heat-exchanging plate so that when passing through the part of
the fluid connection, the working medium cools the heat-exchanging
plate.
12. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the part of the fluid
connection comprises a plurality of bent sections.
13. The refrigerator of claim 12, wherein the heat-exchanging plate
further comprises a second surface opposite the first surface, the
bent sections being attached to the second surface.
14. The refrigerator of claim 10, further comprising a defrost
heater thermally coupled to the heat-exchanging plate.
15. The refrigerator of claim 14, wherein the main body further
comprises a drain tube for directing defrost water away from the
heat-exchanging plate.
16. A refrigerator comprising: a main body defining an upper
compartment and a lower compartment, the upper compartment having a
frontal access, a first sidewall and a heat-exchanging plate
supported by the first sidewall; a refrigeration system containing
therein a refrigerant, the refrigeration system comprising an
evaporator which is disposed in the lower compartment for cooling
the upper compartment and the lower compartment; a pair of doors
supported by the main body for selectively closing the frontal
access of the upper compartment; and a sub-compartment on one of
the doors and substantially disposed in the upper compartment when
the one of the doors is in a closed position, the sub-compartment
comprising a second sidewall having an opening, wherein the heat
exchanging plate is coolable by the refrigerant, and wherein the
heat-exchanging plate and the second wall are positioned so that
when the one of the doors is in the closed position, the
heat-exchanging plate is exposed to an interior of the
sub-compartment through the opening.
17. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the heat-exchange plate
comprises a metal plate.
18. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the refrigeration system
further comprises a condenser and a fluid connection for
transferring the refrigerant from the evaporator to the condenser,
a portion of the fluid connection being thermally coupled to the
heat-exchanging plate so that when passing through the portion, the
refrigerant cools the heat-exchanging plate.
19. The refrigerator of claim 18, wherein the portion of the fluid
connection comprises a plurality of bent sections.
20. The refrigerator of claim 19, wherein the heat-exchanging plate
comprises a first surface facing the second sidewall when one of
the doors is in the closed position, and a plurality of projections
extending outward from the first surface.
21. The refrigerator of claim 20, wherein the projections comprise
first projections and second projections which project further away
from the first surface than the first projections.
22. The refrigerator of claim 20, wherein the projections comprise
fins.
23. The refrigerator of claim 20, wherein the heat-exchanging plate
further comprises a second surface opposite the first surface, the
bent sections being attached to the second surface.
24. The refrigerator of claim 23, wherein the second surface has a
plurality of receiving channels for receiving the respective bent
sections.
25. The refrigerator of claim 23, further comprising a foil defrost
heater which overlays the bent portions to the second surface.
26. The refrigerator of claim 25, wherein the heat-exchanging plate
further comprises a lower end, the refrigerator further comprising
a drain tube operatively connected to the lower end of the
heat-exchanging plate for directing defrost water away from the
heat-exchanging plate.
27. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the sub-compartment
further comprises a gasket surrounding the opening, and wherein
when the one of the doors is in the closed position, the gasket
touches the first sidewall to substantially sealingly surround the
heat-exchanger.
28. The refrigerator of claim 16, further comprising a fan for
facilitating heat exchange between air in the interior of the
sub-compartment and the heat-exchanging plate.
29. The refrigerator of claim 28, wherein the sub-compartment
further has a louvered fan bracket which covers the opening and
supports the fan.
30. The refrigerator of claim 28, wherein the upper compartment
further has a louvered cover which is spaced from and covers the
heat-exchanging plate.
31. The refrigerator of claim 30, wherein the louvered cover
supports the fan.
32. The refrigerator of claim 17, wherein the upper compartment is
a fresh food compartment.
33. The refrigerator of claim 32, wherein the lower compartment is
a freezer compartment.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to a refrigerator.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a "bottom
freezer" type refrigerator having a sub-compartment on the door for
the top mounted fresh food compartment.
[0002] Generally, a refrigerator includes a freezer compartment and
a fresh food compartment which are partitioned from each other to
store various foods at low temperatures in appropriate states for a
relatively long time.
[0003] It is now common practice in the art of refrigerators to
provide an automatic icemaker. In a "side-by-side" type
refrigerator where the freezer compartment is arranged to the side
of the fresh food compartment, the icemaker is usually disposed in
the freezer compartment, and ice is delivered through an opening on
the door for the freezer compartment. In this arrangement, ice is
formed by freezing water with cold air in the freezer compartment,
the air being made cold by the refrigeration system of the
refrigerator, which includes an evaporator disposed in the freezer
compartment.
[0004] In a "bottom freezer" type refrigerator where the freezer
compartment is arranged below or beneath a top mounted fresh food
compartment, convenience necessitates that the icemaker is disposed
in a thermally insulated sub-compartment mounted on the door for
the top mounted fresh food compartment, and ice is delivered
through an opening on the door for the fresh food compartment. In
such an arrangement provision must be made for providing adequate
cooling to the sub-compartment to enable the icemaker to form ice
and for the ice to be stored.
[0005] In one approach, the cold air in the freezer compartment is
used to cool the icemaker. More specifically, the cold air in the
freezer compartment, preferably the cold air around the evaporator
in the freezer compartment, is circulated through the
sub-compartment via a duct loop to maintain the icemaker in the
sub-compartment at a temperature below the freezing point of water
during operation. In this arrangement, a substantial portion of the
duct loop is embedded in the insulation material of the sidewall of
the main body of the refrigerator. The duct itself needs to have a
sufficiently large cross-section to ensure that a sufficient amount
of cold air can be delivered to and from the sub-compartment.
However, the duct sometimes adversely reduces the thickness of the
insulation material so that multiple heaters are needed in order to
prevent the formation of condensation on the external surface of
the main body. Using the heaters increases the energy consumption
of the refrigerator. In addition, both the heaters and the duct
loop increase the manufacturing cost.
[0006] In another approach, a liquid coolant in the nature of a
mixture of propylene glycol and water is used to cool the icemaker.
The liquid coolant is cooled by the cold air in the freezer
compartment, and then is circulated to and from the icemaker in the
sub-compartment through a circulation loop by a pump. The
circulation loop needs to be liquid-tight. This is especially true
with respect to the section of the circulation loop that extends
between the main body of the refrigerator and the sub-compartment
on the door for the fresh food compartment. This approach provides
good cooling results, but it complicates the maintenance and/or
repair process when the door for the fresh food compartment needs
to be removed from the main body of the refrigerator.
[0007] In either approach, the working medium, be it chilled air or
a liquid coolant, has to be delivered into, and removed from the
sub-compartment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0008] As described herein, the exemplary embodiments of the
present invention overcome one or more of the above or other
disadvantages known in the art.
[0009] One aspect of the present invention relates to a
refrigerator including a main body defining a compartment, the
compartment having an access opening, a first wall and a heat
exchanger supported by the first wall; a refrigeration system
containing therein a working medium and an evaporator for cooling
the compartment which is disposed outside of the compartment; a
door supported by the main body for selectively closing at least
part of the access opening of the compartment; and a
sub-compartment on the door and including a second wall with an
opening. The heat exchanger is coolable by the working medium. The
heat exchanger and the second wall are positioned so that when the
door is in a closed position, the heat exchanger is exposed to an
interior of the sub-compartment through the opening.
[0010] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a
refrigerator including a main body defining a first compartment and
a second compartment, the first compartment having an access
opening, a first wall and a heat exchanger supported by the first
sidewall; a refrigeration system containing therein a working
medium and including an evaporator for cooling the first
compartment and the second compartment, which is disposed in the
second compartment; a door supported by the main body for
selectively closing at least part of the access opening of the
first compartment; and a sub-compartment on the door, the
sub-compartment having a second wall having an opening. The heat
exchanger is coolable by the working medium. And the heat exchanger
and the second wall are positioned so that when the door is in a
closed position, the heat exchanger is exposed to an interior of
the sub-compartment through the opening.
[0011] Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to a
refrigerator including a main body defining an upper compartment
and a lower compartment, the upper compartment having a frontal
access, a first sidewall and a heat-exchanging plate supported by
the first sidewall; a refrigeration system containing therein a
working medium and including an evaporator which is disposed in the
lower compartment for cooling the upper and lower compartments; a
pair of doors supported by the main body for selectively closing
the frontal access of the upper compartment; and a sub-compartment
on one of the doors and substantially disposed in the upper
compartment when the one of the doors is in a closed position, the
sub-compartment including a second sidewall having an opening. The
heat exchanging plate is coolable by the working medium. The
heat-exchanging plate and the second sidewall are positioned so
that when the one of the doors is in the closed position, the
heat-exchanging plate is exposed to an interior of the
sub-compartment through the opening.
[0012] These and other aspects and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description considered in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are
designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a
definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference
should be made to the appended claims. Moreover, the drawings are
not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise
indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the
structures and procedures described herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] In the drawings:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment of the invention;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the refrigerator of FIG. 1
with the doors for the fresh food compartment being open and with
the drawer/door for the freezer compartment being removed;
[0016] FIG. 3 partially and schematically shows some of the
components of the refrigerator of FIG. 1, with one fresh food
compartment door open and the other being removed and the door for
the sub-compartment and the drawer/door for the freezer compartment
being removed;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a perspective, partial view of a fresh food
compartment door of the refrigerator of FIG. 2;
[0018] FIG. 5 is an enlarged, perspective view of the opening of
the sub-compartment and the heat exchanger of the refrigerator of
FIG. 2;
[0019] FIG. 6 is a partial, schematic view of the heat exchanger
and the sub-compartment of the refrigerator of FIG. 2 with the
fresh food compartment door being closed;
[0020] FIG. 7 is an enlarged, schematic view of the heat exchanger
of FIG. 6;
[0021] FIG. 8 is an enlarged, schematic view in the direction of
arrow A in FIG. 7;
[0022] FIG. 9 is an enlarged, schematic side view of a portion of
the fresh food compartment door of FIG. 6, viewed along line 9-9 in
FIG. 6;
[0023] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a heat exchanger in
accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the invention;
[0024] FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the heat
exchanger of FIG. 10;
[0025] FIG. 12 shows a heat exchanger in accordance with a third
exemplary embodiment of the invention;
[0026] FIG. 13 shows a heat exchanger in accordance with a fourth
exemplary embodiment of the invention;
[0027] FIGS. 14 and 15 schematically show a heat exchanger in
accordance with a fifth exemplary embodiment of the invention and
its modified cover; and
[0028] FIG. 16 is similar to FIG. 3, illustrating an alternative
embodiment in which the heat exchanger is located above the fresh
food compartment door.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE
INVENTION
[0029] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a refrigerator in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment of the invention is generally
designated by reference numeral 100. The refrigerator 100 has a
main body 101 which defines therein a first, upper, fresh food
compartment 102 with a frontal access opening 102A and a second,
lower, freezer compartment 104 with a frontal access opening 104A.
The fresh food compartment 102 and the freezer compartment 104 are
arranged in a bottom mount configuration where the fresh food
compartment 102 is disposed or positioned above the freezer
compartment 104. The fresh food compartment 102 is shown with two
French doors 134 and 135. However, a single door can be used
instead of the doors 134, 135. The freezer compartment 104 can be
closed by a drawer or a door 132.
[0030] The main body 101 of the refrigerator 100 includes a top
wall 230 and two sidewalls 232. The top wall 230 connects the
sidewalls 232 to each other at the top ends thereof. A mullion 234,
best shown in FIG. 2, connects the two sidewalls 232 to each other
and separates the fresh food compartment 102 from the freezer
compartment 104. The main body 101 also includes a bottom wall 234,
which connects the two sidewalls 232 to each other at the bottom
ends thereof, and a back wall 235. As is known in the art, at least
each of the sidewalls 232 includes an outer case 232A, a liner
232B, and a thermal insulation layer 232C disposed between the
outer case 232A and the liner 232B (see FIG. 7). The thermal
insulation layer 232C is made of a thermal insulation material such
as a rigid polyurethane or other thermoset foam.
[0031] The drawer/door 132 and the doors 134, 135 close the frontal
access openings 104A, 102A, respectively.
[0032] Each of the doors 134, 135 is mounted to the main body 101
by a top hinge 136 and a bottom hinge 138, thereby being rotatable
approximately around the outer vertical edge of the fresh food
compartment 102 between an open position for accessing the
respective part of the fresh food compartment 102, as shown in FIG.
2, and a closed position for closing the respective part of the
fresh food compartment 102, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0033] Similarly, when an access door 132 is used for the freezer
compartment 104, it is rotatably attached to the main body 101 in a
similar fashion. When a drawer is used for the freezer compartment
104, it is slidably received in the interior or cavity defined by
the freezer compartment 104 in a known fashion.
[0034] As shown in FIGS. 2-4, an ice-making section 300 for
freezing water and selectively discharging ice is mounted on the
door 134 for the fresh food compartment 102. The ice-making section
300 is disposed substantially in the fresh food compartment 102
when the door 134 is the closed position. The ice-making section
300 delivers ice through a chute formed in the door 134. The chute
extends downward and/or outward from the ice-making section 300,
with its lower end 202 being accessible from the exterior surface
side of the door 134 (see FIG. 1). The lower end 202 is preferably
positioned at a height facilitating convenient access to the ice.
Of course, the ice-making section 300 can be mounted on the door
135 instead.
[0035] As illustrated in FIGS. 3-5, the ice-making section 300
includes an ice sub-compartment 304 mounted on or partially formed
by the liner of the door 134, an icemaker 306 disposed in the
sub-compartment 304, and preferably an ice storage bin 308 disposed
in the sub-compartment 304 and below or underneath the icemaker
306. Since the fresh food compartment 102 normally has a
temperature higher than the freezing point of water, the
sub-compartment 304 is preferably thermally insulated to prevent or
substantially reduce the undesired heat transfer between air in the
sub-compartment 304 and the air in the fresh food compartment 102.
The sub-compartment 304 has a top wall 310, two sidewalls 312, 314,
a bottom wall 316, a front wall 318, and a back wall that can be
formed by the inner liner of the door 134. Preferably, the front
wall 318 has an opening 320, and an access door 322 is pivotably or
rotatably mounted to the front wall 318 in a known fashion for
selectively closing the opening 320. To facilitate cooling the ice
sub-compartment 304, the sidewall 314, which faces the sidewall
232S of the fresh food compartment 102 when the door 134 is closed,
has an opening 314A. A gasket 317 is attached to the sidewall 314
and surrounds the opening 314A. The function of the opening 314A
and the gasket 317 will be discussed in detail below.
[0036] As is known in the art, water is delivered to one or more
ice molds (not shown) of the icemaker 306 through a water supply
conduit (not shown) and then frozen into ice cubes. After frozen,
the ice cubes may be discharged from the ice molds and stored in
the ice storage bin 308 until needed by a user. The ice cubes may
be withdrawn by accessing the ice storage bin 308 through the
access door 322. The ice cubes, however, are typically dispensed
via the chute by an ice-dispensing device (not shown) installed in
the door 134.
[0037] Referring now to FIG. 3, the refrigeration system 350 of the
refrigerator 100 is preferably a single evaporator system. The
sealed system includes evaporator 352 disposed in the freezer
compartment 104, a compressor 354 disposed downstream of the
evaporator 352 and outside of the freezer compartment 104, a
condenser 356 disposed downstream of the compressor 354, an
expansion valve 358 disposed downstream of the condenser 356, and a
fluid connection loop 360 fluidly connecting these elements 352-358
together. The refrigeration system 350 contains therein a working
medium (i.e., the refrigerant). Unlike known refrigerators,
however, the fluid connection loop 360, which fluidly connects the
evaporator 352 to the compressor 354 for transmitting the
refrigerant therebetween, includes a serpentine portion 360A (i.e.,
the cooling serpentine) disposed or embedded in the sidewall 232S
of the fresh food compartment 102 at a location proximate the
opening 314A in door 134 when the door 134 is closed. By this
arrangement, the serpentine portion 360A can be used to cool the
ice sub-compartment 304 as hereinafter described.
[0038] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the liner 232B of the sidewall
232S of the fresh food compartment 102 has an opening 372 that
preferably faces or is substantially aligned with the opening 314A
of the sidewall 314 of the sub-compartment 304 when the door 134 is
in the closed position. In one embodiment, a heat exchanger 370,
comprising a formed metal heat-exchanging plate 374, is attached to
the liner 232B and covers the opening 372. The heat exchanger 370
is thermally coupled to the serpentine portion 360A so that the
refrigerant, when passing through the serpentine portion 360A,
cools the heat exchanger 370. As best illustrated in FIG. 6, when
the door 134 is closed, the heat-exchanging plate 374 is
substantially aligned with the opening 314A, the gasket 317
touches/presses the sidewall 232S and surrounds the heat-exchanging
plate 374 so that the heat-exchanging plate 374 is exposed to the
interior of the sub-compartment 304 while the gasket 317
substantially seals the heat-exchanging plate 374 and the interior
of the sub-compartment 304 from the rest of the fresh food
compartment 102. In other words, when the door 134 is closed, part
of the sidewall 232S including the heat-exchanging plate 374, the
gasket 317 and the sub-compartment 304 form or define a
substantially sealed interior space.
[0039] Referring still to FIGS. 6 and 7, preferably, the portion
360A of the fluid connection loop 360 has a plurality of bent
sections 361. The heat-exchanging plate 374 preferably has a
plurality of projections 376 which extend outward from its first,
exposed surface 374E. Preferably, each of the projections 376 has a
curved cross-section (substantially semi-spherical cross sections
are shown in FIG. 7) so that the projections 376 also define
receiving channels 376R on the second, unexposed, foam-facing
surface 374U of the heat-exchanging plate 374 for receiving the
respective bent sections 361. Such projections 376 enhance not only
the heat exchange between the bent sections 361 and the
heat-exchanging plate 374, but also the heat exchange between the
heat-exchanging plate 374 and the air in the sub-compartment
304.
[0040] As shown in FIGS. 6-8, an appearance enhancing louvered
cover 380 is preferably used to cover the heat-exchanging plate
374. The louvered cover 380, which is supported by the liner 232B,
is spaced apart from the heat-exchanging plate 374.
[0041] Preferably, a defrost heater can be thermally coupled to the
heat-exchanging plate 374 to remove frost that may form on the
exposed surface of plate 374. In one embodiment, an aluminum foil
defrost heater 378 comprising foil layer 378A and resistive heater
coils 378B, is used to defrost the heat-exchanging plate 374. In
this embodiment, the bent sections 361 of the serpentine portion
360A are sandwiched between the heat-exchanging plate 374 and the
layer of aluminum foil that overlays the foam-facing surface 374U
of plate 374. A drain tube 382, preferably embedded in the
sidewall, with an inlet proximate the lower end of the
heat-exchanging plate 374, is provided for directing the defrost
water to a drain pan (not shown) which may be the evaporator drain
pan. As shown in FIG. 7, a scoop 384 is located proximate the lower
ends of the heat-exchanging plate 374 and the louvered cover 380
for directing the defrost water from the heat-exchanging plate 374
and the louvered cover 380 into the drain tube 382. The scoop 384
may have a configuration that covers the entire width of the
heat-exchanging plate 374 and the entire width of the louvered
cover 380. Preferably the scoop 384 is made of a flexible material
such as rubber of soft plastic so as to not interfere with the door
foaming process.
[0042] Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, an electric fan 390 is
located in the sub-compartment 304 for facilitating the heat
exchange between the air in the sub-compartment and the
heat-exchanging plate 374 when the door 132 is closed. Preferably,
the fan is disposed adjacent to the opening 314A. As shown in FIGS.
6 and 9, a louvered fan bracket 392 is preferably used to at least
partially cover the opening 314A and to support the fan 390. The
fan 390 directs air in an axial direction toward the exposed
surface of the plate 374. As the air then moves radially over the
exposed surface of the plate 374, cooled by the coolant passing
through the cooling serpentine 360A, heat is absorbed by the plate
374 and the chilled air recirculates through the ice
sub-compartment 304. By this arrangement, the air in the ice
sub-compartment 304 is chilled sufficiently to form ice in the
icemaker.
[0043] The icemaker 306, the defrost heater 378 and the fan 390 may
be powered by a common power source or by a dedicated power source
of their own.
[0044] Thus, while there have shown and described and pointed out
fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to various
specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various
omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of
the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by
those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the
invention. For example, the gasket 317 may be attached to the
sidewall 232S instead.
[0045] Additionally, the heat-exchanging plate 374 can have
different configurations. For instance, FIGS. 10 and 11 show a
modified heat-exchanging plate 374', which has a plurality of short
projections 376S and a plurality of long projections 376L, all
projecting or extending outward from the exposed surface 374E'. The
heat-exchanging plate 374' also has a plurality of projections 376B
extending outward from the un-exposed surface 374U'. Each of the
projections 376B forms a receiving channel 376R' for receiving a
respective bent section 361. FIG. 12 shows another modified
heat-exchanging plate 374'' which has essentially flat surfaces
without any projections. The heat-exchanging plate 374'' can be
attached to the inner side of the liner 232B'' which has no opening
372. In this configuration, the heat-exchanging plate 374'' and at
least part of the liner 232B'' attached to the heat-exchanging
plate 374'' can be considered to form the heat exchanger 370''
because both become cold when the refrigerant passes through the
serpentine portion 360A. FIG. 13 shows yet another modified
heat-exchanging plate 374''', which has fin-shaped projections
376''' extending outward from its exposed surface 374E'' and
projections that are similar to those shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 that
extend outward from its un-exposed surface 374U'''. FIG. 15
schematically shows yet another modified heat-exchanging plate 374m
and its louvered cover 380m. As clearly illustrated in FIGS. 14 and
15, in this embodiment, the fan 390 is supported in the case side
wall 232, by the louvered cover 380m, and preferably disposed
between the louvered cover 380m and the heat-exchanging plate
374m.
[0046] Furthermore, the locations of the heat exchanger 370, the
bent sections 361 and the opening 314A can be changed. The bent
sections 361 and the heat exchanger 370 can be on any of the walls
of the fresh food compartment 102. FIG. 16 shows that the bent
sections 361n are supported by the top wall 236 of the fresh food
compartment 102n. The heat exchanger (not shown in FIG. 16) is
supported by the top wall 236 as well, and the opening 314A is
formed on the top wall 310n of the sub-compartment 304n. The gasket
317n is mounted on the top wall 310n. Of course, the gasket 317n
can be mounted on the top wall 236 of the fresh food compartment
102n instead. The fan 390 is shown disposed in the sub-compartment
304n. As discussed earlier, it can be supported by either the
louvered cover (not shown in FIG. 16) for the heat exchanger or the
louvered fan bracket (not shown in FIG. 16).
[0047] Moreover, it is expressly intended that all combinations of
those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the
same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same
results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should
be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps
shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or
embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other
disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general
matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be
limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended
hereto.
* * * * *